The present disclosure relates generally to medical devices. More particularly, it relates to an endoluminal prosthesis with a steerable branch.
Endovascular methods have been proposed for treatment of diseases of the aorta such as aortic dissection and aortic aneurysm. Using stent grafts to treat aneurysms is common in the medical field. Stent grafts are deployed by accessing a vasculature with a small incision in the skin and guiding a delivery system to the target area. This endoluminal delivery is less invasive and generally preferred over more intrusive forms of surgery. Multiple stent grafts may be implanted using endoluminal delivery to provide a system of interconnected stent grafts. Interconnected stent grafts can be made of fenestrated stent grafts and smaller side branch grafts, including bifurcated components.
Such methods have been proposed particularly when the diseased portion of the aorta is adjacent the aorta bifurcation. But when the diseased portion of the aorta is located higher up in the aorta, for example, in the region of the descending aorta adjacent the thoracic arch or in the ascending aorta, endovascular techniques for treating these diseases are somewhat more difficult because of the arched or curved nature of the thoracic arch, the presence of major arteries in the region, and the proximity to the heart.
Custom made devices, including scalloped and fenestrated devices, have been used in situations where the arch vessels are compromised and entire coverage of the aortic arch is not required. However, deployment of these devices may be difficult.